Characters from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series
Character details
Full name:	Lord Havelock Vetinari
Description:	A tall, pale, thoughtful man who dresses in dusty black, primarily due to having better things to think about than what to wear. This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat In his youth he favoured grey or dark greens instead of the traditional black of the Assassins Guild because he claims they blend better with the shadows
Associations:
Location:	Ankh-Morpork
Story appearances
First seen:	The Colour of Magic[1]
Also in:	Mort, Sourcery, Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Men At Arms, Soul Music, Interesting Times, Maskerade, Feet of Clay, Jingo, The Fifth Elephant, The Truth, The Last Hero, Night Watch, Going Postal, Thud!, Making Money
Other details
Notes:	Former student of the Assassins' Guild

Lord Havelock Vetinari is the Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, the head of the fictional city state of Ankh-Morpork in Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Geography Ankh-Morpork lies on the River Ankh (the most polluted waterway on the Discworld and reputedly solid enough to walk on where the fertile loam of the Sto Plains The Colour of Magic is a 1983 Comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, and is the first book of the Discworld series MoRT (an acronym for "Metamorphosis of Realistic Theories" Mort is also the French word for death) is an Avant-garde metal Sourcery is the fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1988 Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989 Moving Pictures is the name of the tenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1990 Reaper Man is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1991 it is the 11th Discworld novel and the second to focus on Men at Arms is the 15th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett first published in 1993 Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Interesting Times is the seventeenth Novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Maskerade is the eighteenth novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Feet of Clay is the nineteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and a parody of detective novels Jingo is the twenty-first novel by Terry Pratchett, one of his Discworld series The Fifth Elephant is the 24th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000. This article is about the fantasy novel For the adventure novel by Leslie Charteris and featuring Simon Templar, see The Last Hero (The Saint Going postal is an American English Slang term used as a verb meaning to suddenly become extremely and uncontrollably angry possibly to the point of violence Thud! is Terry Pratchett 's 34th Discworld novel released in the United States of America on September 13 2005 Making Money is a Terry Pratchett novel in the Discworld series published in the UK on 20 September, 2007. The Ankh-Morpork Assassins' Guild is a fictional school for professional killers in Terry Pratchett 's long-running Discworld series of fantasy novels A city-state is a Region controlled exclusively by a City, usually having Sovereignty. Geography Ankh-Morpork lies on the River Ankh (the most polluted waterway on the Discworld and reputedly solid enough to walk on where the fertile loam of the Sto Plains Terence David John Pratchett, OBE (born 28 April 1948 is an English fantasy, Science fiction, and children's author. Discworld is a comedic Fantasy Book series by the British author Terry Pratchett, set on the Discworld, a flat He is sometimes said to have been based on the Italian statesman and diplomat, Niccolò Machiavelli, but in fact favours a subtly different (though equally pragmatic) form of statecraft.

Contents 1 Early years 2 Rise to power 3 Vetinari's golden rule 4 Staying in power 4.1 Deposition and restoration 4.2 Notable events during Vetinari's rule 5 Appearance, habits and miscellaneous 6 Stealth philosophy 7 Bibliography 7.1 Other media 8 Notes 9 External links

Early years

Lord Vetinari was born into the extremely powerful Vetinari family (a word play on the real-life family of the Medici and on the word "veterinary") and raised by his aunt, Lady Roberta Meserole. Veterinary medicine the application of medical, diagnostic, and therapeutic principles to companion, domestic, exotic, wildlife

As a youth, he enrolled in the Assassins' Guild which, apart from teaching its students how to kill other people for money, also gives them an excellent education. The Ankh-Morpork Assassins' Guild is a fictional school for professional killers in Terry Pratchett 's long-running Discworld series of fantasy novels Lord Vetinari was particularly interested in the classical arts and (in flagrant defiance of the Guild's conventions of style) camouflage, though he was failed in his stealth examination (due to his apparent absence in class. Camouflage is a method of cryptic or concealing coloration that allows an otherwise visible Organism ) Because of the similarity his name bore to "veterinary", he endured the nickname of Dog-botherer. A nickname is a Name of an entity or thing that is not its Proper name. Vetinari graduated from the Guild with exceptional marks, scoring disconcertingly high in attention to detail.

In his late teens, Vetinari was involved in the "Glorious 25th of May" (Night Watch), to which his most notable contribution was the non-assassination of the then-Patrician of Ankh-Morpork, Homicidal Lord Winder, at a crowded party. Night Watch is the 29th Novel in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series published in 2002 Geography Ankh-Morpork lies on the River Ankh (the most polluted waterway on the Discworld and reputedly solid enough to walk on where the fertile loam of the Sto Plains This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Vetinari was present at Winder's death, but although he certainly intended to assassinate Winder, his mere arrival was enough to frighten Winder to death. Vetinari was able to drop his weapon beside Winder's corpse un-used, and leave - all seemingly unobserved by anyone in the room, save Winder (though it was hinted that the party was arranged for the very occasion of Winder's assassination). Vetinari appeared in full Assassin regalia, which Winder regarded as something out of a nightmare. Later, he fought alongside the remnants of Samuel Vimes' (then known as John Keel) Night Watch against the remnants of the Cable Street Particulars (colloquially known as the Unmentionables), the late Lord Winder's secret police. The Ankh-Morpork City Watch (originally the Night Watch commonly referred to as "The Watch" is a Fictional Police force within the Discworld Secret police (sometimes political police) are a Police agency which operates in Secrecy to maintain National security against internal The effect Keel has on Vetinari and the events of the 25th of May clearly shape Vetinari's views on the effective way of running the city.

Vetinari later journeyed to Überwald on what is known as the Grand Sneer (a parody of Grand Tour); travels of the younger members of rich families to backward areas to see at first hand how inferior they are. In Terry Pratchett 's fictional Discworld universe Überwald is a region located in near the foot of the Ramtops, farther from Ankh-Morpork The Grand Tour was the traditional travel of Europe undertaken by mainly upper-class European young men of means There he met the vampire Lady Margolotta. Vampires are mythological or folkloric revenants who subsist by feeding on the blood of the living In Terry Pratchett 's Discworld novels the undead are seen less as monsters and more as characters with unusual cultural quirks It is implied that the two had some kind of relationship, and stated more clearly that he taught her a lot of what she knows, and vice versa.

Rise to power

Lord Vetinari succeeded Mad Lord Snapcase, who had been as mad as the name suggests. This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series One of Vetinari's earliest actions and a sample of his way of running the city was to legalize Guilds such as those of the Thieves and the "Seamstresses", which had been active but outlawed for years. Prostitution is the act of performing Sexual activity in exchange for Money. Their leaders became esteemed members of society and their members insured and licensed. Vetinari also made it clear to them that he knew everything about them, right down to where their wives had their hair done and their children played. Therefore, the Guilds did what he asked of them, and eventually, lawlessness was not so much eliminated as organized. Nowadays, for a modest fee, an Ankh-Morpork citizen may walk the streets confident that he will not be mugged more than a few times per year and will always receive a receipt.

Vetinari's golden rule

Lord Vetinari's genius political thinking and his running of the city can be summed up by his belief that what people wish for most is not good government, or even justice, but merely for things to stay the same; the Vetinari family motto is, after all, Si non confectus, non reficiat (If it ain't broke, don't fix it). A motto (from the Italian word motto, meaning witticism sentence is a phrase meant to formally describe the general motivation or intention of a social group This does not mean that there are absolutely no changes, however; things that don't work are fixed very quickly, even if it does not look like they are at first. In Soul Music, Mr. Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Clete expresses a belief that "things that didn't work . . . got broken. " Perhaps in conjunction with this, Vetinari has an interest in keeping things in smooth, simple working order. This has led to one particular mandate against baseless metaphor. Metaphor (from the Greek: μεταφορά - metaphora, meaning "transfer" is language that directly compares seemingly unrelated subjects Knowing the literal-mindedness of the average Ankh-Morporkian, he has directed that anything mentioned in literature, advertising, business, etc. must have a basis in reality. This along with the Disc's unique hold on reality has resulted in a few oddities, such as the "pork futures" warehouse described in Men At Arms. Men at Arms is the 15th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett first published in 1993

Despite being technically a dictator, Lord Vetinari does not exercise the despotic rule that characterised some of his predecessors. He is, in fact, the archetype of a benevolent dictator, in a chilly, inscrutable way. In The Truth, he permits the emergence of a free press, and has rarely, if ever, been known to drag innocent people off to dungeons without trial. The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000. The notable exception to this rule are mimes, whom Vetinari despises. Vetinari banned all mime performances from Ankh-Morpork shortly after taking power. Mimes who violate the ban usually find themselves trying to climb invisible ladders out of Vetinari's scorpion pit whilst reading a sign saying 'learn the words. '

Morporkians are, however, in no doubt that Vetinari is firmly in charge of the city; the political system of Ankh-Morpork is described as "One Man, One Vote", in which Vetinari is the Man, and he has the Vote. In Going Postal, he first appears to avoid meddling in the affairs of private business, but suddenly exercises his executive power in closing several prominent banks for audit at the end of the novel. Going postal is an American English Slang term used as a verb meaning to suddenly become extremely and uncontrollably angry possibly to the point of violence While Vetinari could have ordered an investigation of the Clacks company and their financial endeavors at any time, it is worth noting that he did not do so until public opinion allowed it – only then did he proclaim his right as a "tyrant" to launch such an inquiry. Vetinari is broadly tolerant of individual rights, but highly intolerant of people who place their own interests above those of the city.

Staying in power

While he is just as unpopular as those that came before him, Lord Vetinari is disturbingly sane and still alive- unlike his predecessors. He has achieved this by ensuring that even though all power-wielding groups in the city dislike him, they dislike each other more. He also carefully arranges matters so that a reality which includes him as Patrician is slightly better than one which does not. The Assassins' Guild no longer accepts contracts on the Patrician – he is the only person besides Samuel Vimes to have been taken off the register. He had the highest "official" price for a living being ever: 1 Million Ankh-Morpork Dollars (Feet of Clay). Feet of Clay is the nineteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and a parody of detective novels

In Thud!, his rule of the city is likened to a room full of tension, with people bickering and shouting at one another, and "in the middle of it all, one man quietly doing his own thing". Thud! is Terry Pratchett 's 34th Discworld novel released in the United States of America on September 13 2005

Other reasons for the Patrician's continued rule include his mastery of diplomacy and manipulation of human nature, his distant and menacing air, his everpresent calmness and composure which make other people ill at ease, his abilities as a listener (often people tell him things simply to fill his silence) and of course his very, very good skills as an Assassin ("Mr. Slant had failed to tell the New Firm about a number of things, and one of them was that Vetinari moved like a snake" (The Truth)). The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000.

Vetinari has created (or at least continued) the use of a team of clerks who bring him information on just about everything; they serve, among other functions, as accountants, forensic auditors, and a domestic intelligence service. The apparent head (or at least one of those seen to most frequently liaise with Vetinari) of this team is Drumknott. This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series

Vetinari's rule over the city seems to be cemented by the general acknowledgement that very little goes on in the city that Vetinari does not know about. Thus, when a visitor stands in audience with the Patrician, they can be assured that Vetinari knows exactly why they're there, even if the visitor does not.

Deposition and restoration

Several attempts have been made on Vetinari's life or position (strangely enough, he seems to be involved in most of these). Shortly after his ascent to office, he was briefly turned into a lizard by a wizard under the influence of a Sourcerer. Sourcery is the fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1988 He was deposed for a time in favour of a summoned dragon and locked up in his own dungeons, from which he escaped at his leisure (Guards! Guards!) – the door to his cell was very large and heavy, and was absolutely covered in bars, bolts and locks. Terry Pratchett 's Fictional Discworld has a large number of creatures and plants unique to it or its parasite universes (such as Fairyland or Death's Domain Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989 On the inside. All that was on the outside was a single lock, the key to which Vetinari had hidden in the cell (he has two mottos a ruler should remember when building dungeons: "never build a dungeon you wouldn't want to spend the night in yourself" and "never build a dungeon you can't get out of"). The collection of intelligent rats (thanks to the unintentional influence of the Unseen University) with access to the dungeons provided a well-secured backup escape plan. Unseen University (UU is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's fictional Discworld city of Ankh-Morpork, staffed by a faculty

He was shot in the leg with a gonne and now walks with an ebony cane, though only in public (Men at Arms). The hand cannon ( Arabic: midfa; Chinese: 手[[wikt 銃|銃]] as it was called was the first handheld portable Men at Arms is the 15th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett first published in 1993 It was rumoured that the cane held a sword that was made of iron from the blood of a thousand men but this was revealed to be false (Making Money). Making Money is a Terry Pratchett novel in the Discworld series published in the UK on 20 September, 2007. A year later, he was poisoned with arsenic, which he inhaled from the smoke of poisoned candles (Feet of Clay). Arsenic (ˈɑrsənɪk is a Chemical element that has the symbol As and Atomic number of 33 Feet of Clay is the nineteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and a parody of detective novels Characteristically, he knew how, but continued to fake both the symptoms and the evidence of it until the City Watch found out, thus exposing the conspiracy behind the method.

During the brief war with Klatch, Vetinari surrendered unconditionally, resulting in his near-exile. However, when the island which was both the cause of controversy and the location set for the signing of the surrender treaty sank into the ocean (again), all the terms of surrender were off and the Klatchian leader lost face (and his throne), which was Vetinari's plan all along. He ended up being congratulated instead of being deposed and exiled (Jingo). Jingo is the twenty-first novel by Terry Pratchett, one of his Discworld series

Some time later, Vetinari was framed for assault and theft from the city treasury. Again he came a hair's breadth from being deposed (The Truth). The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000. He was arrested by his own Commander of the Watch (Samuel Vimes) for attempted murder, and spent part of the book incarcerated.

None of these events – even poisoning – seem to have fazed him at all. There have also been numerous attempts on his life by Assassins retained by other parties; the universal failure of these attempts led to the Guild's refusal to accept further bounties on Vetinari's death.

Notable events during Vetinari's rule

Vetinari has seen Ankh-Morpork through many unusual events, including the appearance of a Sourcerer (Sourcery), a dragon (Guards! Guards!), a war (Jingo) plus one near-civil war (Men at Arms), and an attempt to destroy the Discworld (The Last Hero), as well as the metaphysical crises of Moving Pictures, Music With Rocks In (Soul Music), superfluous life force and belief (Reaper Man, Hogfather), and one major temporal shatter (Thief of Time); it is unclear whether even the well-informed Vetinari was aware of the last, however. Sourcery is the fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1988 Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989 A civil war is a War between a State and domestic political actors that are in control of some part of the territory claimed by the state Men at Arms is the 15th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett first published in 1993 The Discworld is the fictional setting for all of Terry Pratchett 's Discworld fantasy novels This article is about the fantasy novel For the adventure novel by Leslie Charteris and featuring Simon Templar, see The Last Hero (The Saint Moving Pictures is the name of the tenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1990 Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. Reaper Man is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1991 it is the 11th Discworld novel and the second to focus on Hogfather is the 20th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Hogfather is also a character in the book representing something Thief of Time is the 26th Discworld Novel written by Terry Pratchett.

Vetinari has encouraged the growth of the Guilds and public services. The Ankh-Morpork City Watch in particular has flourished, and is an excellent example of the adaptability which has kept Vetinari in office. The Ankh-Morpork City Watch (originally the Night Watch commonly referred to as "The Watch" is a Fictional Police force within the Discworld When he rose to power, the Night Watch were a bunch of incompetents led by a drunk, and that was just how he wanted it. Now, it is a large, efficient, well-oiled anti-crime machine, and that appears now to be just how he wants it. Ankh-Morpork has given birth to the first newspaper, the Ankh-Morpork Times (The Truth), while the AM-based Grand Trunk Clacks Company established the first efficient international communication service (The Fifth Elephant); more recently, he has put into place Moist von Lipwig, who revamped the postal service without costing the taxpayers anything (Going Postal), in the process inventing stamps, which were the closest thing Ankh-Morpork had to banknotes until said form of currency made their debut in Making Money. The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000. The Fifth Elephant is the 24th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Moist von Lipwig is a Fictional character from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Going postal is an American English Slang term used as a verb meaning to suddenly become extremely and uncontrollably angry possibly to the point of violence Making Money is a Terry Pratchett novel in the Discworld series published in the UK on 20 September, 2007.

At some point between Thud! and Making Money, Vetinari has begun plans for a phenomenal redevelopment project of Ankh Morpork titled 'The Undertaking' - this seems to have been inspired by the discovery in 'Thud!' of an ancient perpetual motion engine - a twin of one which according to Carrot Ironfoundersson powers all of the machinery in one of the largest mines in Uberwald. The term perpetual motion, taken literally refers to movement that goes on forever Carrot Ironfoundersson is a Fictional character in Terry Pratchett 's Discworld novels Rumors around the Undertaking include mention of 'underground streets', 'waterproof tunnels' and 'new docks'.

Appearance, habits and miscellaneous

Being currently in his fifties, Lord Vetinari is tall, thin and dresses all in dusty black. His appearance has been likened to that of a predatory flamingo, if one existed. Flamingos or flamingoes ( are gregarious Wading birds in the Genus Phoenicopterus and family His family coat of arms is a plain sable shield, black on black, upon which Moist von Lipwig in Going Postal comments that "you had to admit that the bastard had style". Lord Vetinari lives and works in the Patrician's Palace, which used to be the Royal Winter Palace. He sits on a plain wooden chair at the feet of the Golden Throne of Ankh (much like the Steward of Gondor in The Lord of the Rings). Gondor is a fictional kingdom in J R R Tolkien 's writings described as the greatest realm of Men in the west of Middle-earth by the end of the The Lord of the Rings is an epic However, in this case, it is because the throne is not gold at all, but actually several pieces of rotten, worm-ridden wood covered in gold foil. He accepts interviews in the Oblong Office (a reference to the White House's Oval Office). See also Executive Office of the President of the United States The White House, formerly known as the Executive Mansion, is the Official residence | |-| |-| |- | |-| |-| |-| |-| |} The Oval Office is the official office of the President of the United States. Notably he does not request, or even demand the presence of any of his citizens, but merely has them informed that they "have an appointment with him," and they are promptly escorted to said appointment.

He holds meetings in the Rats Chamber, so named because of its fresco of dancing rats on the ceiling (a play on the Star Chamber and the German Ratskammer, which literally means 'council chamber'). Rats are various medium sized long-tailed Rodents of the superfamily Muroidea For the online trading card game see Star Chamber The Harbinger Saga. The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Occupants report that spending any time in the room makes one want to leave and go have a good long bath.

His bedroom is spartan, containing little more than a narrow bed and a few battered cupboards. He apparently requires so little sleep and gets up so early that going to bed is merely an excuse to change his clothes ("He has a bedroom. He presumably sleeps" The New Discworld Companion). The Discworld Companion is an Encyclopedia of all things Discworldian created by Terry Pratchett and Stephen Briggs. He is known to always be in his office at very late (or perhaps early) hours, apparently just coinciding with when someone wishes to see him and he wishes to see them. He is not often described as sleeping (exceptions are in Jingo and The Truth), although he has been unconscious several times. Jingo is the twenty-first novel by Terry Pratchett, one of his Discworld series The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000. He has one known relative (Lady Roberta "Bobbi" Meserole, his aunt) who may come from Genua and now lives in Pseudopolis. Genua is a fictional city from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld novels See also Discworld (world This article concerns the fictional geography of Terry Pratchett 's Discworld, featured in the long running series of She appears to share his forte for subtle politics. His father apparently died while Havelock was still young, and took things much less seriously than his son.

Strangely enough, Vetinari has no lust for power. The sole reason for his ruling the city is that he is fiercely loyal to it. (Although it is also at times implied that he does it because it Amuses him to do so, in the sense that he enjoys outwitting all the people who try to oppose him. ) He also has no exploitable vices, barring his intense dislike of mime to the extent of outlawing all practice of it within the city walls, as well as, in some of the earliest novels, a strange fondness for candied jellyfish – though it is believed that this person is another Patrician by some parties (see Bibliography).

He did keep a pet, a sixteen-year old wire-haired terrier called Wuffles. The Wire Fox Terrier is a breed of Dog, one of many Terrier breeds It is said that Wuffles is the only living creature Lord Vetinari actually cares about (unless Ankh-Morpork is considered a living creature). Wuffles has been described as very elderly in two books that take place many years apart. In the novel Making Money, where it is shown that Wuffles has at some recent point, passed away. Reinforcing Vetinari's affection for the dog is the rumor that every week he makes a short (and via a different path) walk to Wuffles' small grave in the palace grounds, every time leaving a dog biscuit.

As of Making Money he is now caring for another dog - 'Mr Fusspot', the former pet of the late Topsy Lavish nee Turvy, Chairwoman of the Royal Bank and Mint. Thanks to an unusual will and Topsy's contempt for the rest of the Lavish family, Mr Fusspot is formally and legally the current Chairman. This leads to the debate whether this gives Vetinari control of the bank and mint, since Topsy's will states the person caring for Mr. Fusspot is also the executor of 'the chairman's' wishes for both concerns. The authority rested in Moist Von Lipwig, the current Master Of The Mint and temporary caretaker of Mr Fusspot before Vetinari adopted/seized/confiscated the dog. There has been concern over Vetinari's caring of the dog, though no one wishes to risk raising the issue with him.

It was established in Guards!, Guards! that Vetinari can communicate with the palace rats. These rats have sentience because of the magic from the Unseen University. Sentience is the ability to feel or perceive subjectively. It is an important concept in the philosophy of Animal rights, in buddhist philosophy and in Unseen University (UU is a school of wizardry in Terry Pratchett's fictional Discworld city of Ankh-Morpork, staffed by a faculty The rats are now loyal to him because he provided them military advice that allowed them to become dominant vermin of the palace.

Vetinari also enjoys reading written music rather than listening to it performed, because the idea of it being performed by people, with all the sweat and saliva involved, strikes him as distasteful. For the band see Saliva (band; for the village in Azerbaijan see Səliva.

Though he excels at the Discworld's equivalent of sudoku; 'Jikan no Muda' (Literally, "Waste of Time" in Japanese) and can solve them after glancing at any grid for a few seconds, he finds them unsatisfying, as numbers are too easy to outwit. is a Logic -based number-placement Puzzle. The objective is to fill a 9×9 grid so that each column each row and each of the nine 3×3 boxes (also called blocks He enjoys crosswords far more, as one needs to comprehend how another person's mind works when actively trying to mislead. He has found no small pleasure in the work of 'The Blind Letter Office' at the Post Office, deciphering the nigh-illegible gibberish that some of Ankh-Morpork's less educated citizenry address their letters with - for example working out casually that 'Duzbuns Hopsit pfarmarrsc' equals 'K. Whistler, Baker, 3 Pigsty Hill' (Does Buns Opposite the Pharmacy). The men employed for this job are successful in 'translating' five addresses out of every six.

Lord Vetinari also has a strange clock in his waiting-room. While it does keep time accurately enough, it sometimes ticks and tocks out of sync (example: "tick, tock. . . ticktocktick, tock. . . ") and occasionally misses a tick or tock altogether, which has the net effect of turning one's brain "into a sort of porridge". (Feet of Clay, Going Postal).

It has been suggested that Vetinari may not be entirely human, though this is primarily because of his methods and personality, as opposed to any sort of physical proof.

Stealth philosophy

Lord Vetinari has been used in several cases as a component of the Stealth philosophy delivery of the series. An example would be when he outlines his opinion on the nature of freedom for Moist von Lipwig as including the freedom to accept the consequences of one's actions in Going Postal (this is also an example of Hobson's choice, a recurring theme as well as a character in the Discworld series). Going postal is an American English Slang term used as a verb meaning to suddenly become extremely and uncontrollably angry possibly to the point of violence Hobson's Choice is a play by Harold Brighouse, the title coming from the popular expression Hobson's choice — meaning no choice at all This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series

Bibliography

Lord Vetinari makes featured appearances in the Discworld novels Sourcery, Guards! Guards!, Moving Pictures, Reaper Man, Men at Arms, Feet of Clay, Jingo, Interesting Times, Soul Music, The Fifth Elephant, The Truth, The Last Hero, Going Postal, Thud! and Making Money. Sourcery is the fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1988 Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989 Moving Pictures is the name of the tenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 1990 Reaper Man is a Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. Published in 1991 it is the 11th Discworld novel and the second to focus on Men at Arms is the 15th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett first published in 1993 Feet of Clay is the nineteenth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, and a parody of detective novels Jingo is the twenty-first novel by Terry Pratchett, one of his Discworld series Interesting Times is the seventeenth Novel in the Discworld series by Terry Pratchett. Soul music is a Music genre that combines Rhythm and blues and Gospel music, originating in the United States. The Fifth Elephant is the 24th Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett. The Truth is the twenty-fifth Discworld novel by Terry Pratchett, published in 2000. This article is about the fantasy novel For the adventure novel by Leslie Charteris and featuring Simon Templar, see The Last Hero (The Saint Going postal is an American English Slang term used as a verb meaning to suddenly become extremely and uncontrollably angry possibly to the point of violence Thud! is Terry Pratchett 's 34th Discworld novel released in the United States of America on September 13 2005 Making Money is a Terry Pratchett novel in the Discworld series published in the UK on 20 September, 2007. Night Watch features him in his youth. In The Colour of Magic Rincewind is brought before "the Patrician" but it is not clear whether this Patrician is Vetinari or his predecessor, Mad Lord Snapcase, or possibly even Homicidal Lord Winder, although the description of this Patrician does not seem to tally with that of Vetinari, as the Patrician in question is, for example, described as obese - a trait his two predecessors did possess, but which he lacks. The Colour of Magic is a 1983 Comic fantasy novel by Terry Pratchett, and is the first book of the Discworld series Rincewind the Wizzard is a Fictional character This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series

Pratchett has stated on Usenet that the Patrician in this case is indeed Vetinari, and that he simply lost weight due to the stress of his job. ^[1] Upon being pressed, he admitted that the only real difference is that he has become a better writer since that time. ^[2] It is also a reflection of the fact that the Discworld timeline is extremely uncertain.

Other media

Lord Vetinari was played by Crawford Logan in the 1992 BBC Radio 4 adaptation of Guards! Guards!. Crawford Logan is a British Actor best known for his work in radio drama Year 1992 ( MCMXCII) was a Leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1992 Gregorian calendar) Guards! Guards! is the 8th Discworld Novel by Terry Pratchett, first published in 1989 To many fans of the books, however, the character is firmly associated with Stephen Briggs, who has portrayed him on the amateur stage and at numerous Discworld Events. Stephen Briggs (1951&ndash is in his own words "a civil servant who dabbles in amateur dramatics" Another favourite is Alan Rickman, Pratchett's own choice - although specified as 'the bad guy from Die Hard'. Alan Sidney Patrick Rickman (born 21 February 1946 is a Tony Award - nominated English Film, Television and stage actor Die Hard is an Academy Award nominated 1988 American Action film. In the Colour of Magic TV movie, the Patrician was portrayed as Vetinari by Jeremy Irons, 'the bad guy from the other Die Hard (with a Vengeance). Jeremy John Irons (born September 19 1948) is an English film television and stage Actor. Die Hard with a Vengeance is a 1995 Action film, and the second Sequel in the ''Die Hard'' series. '

Notes

External links

• A Special Kind of Person, a web site concerning Lord Vetinari.
• Discworld & Pratchett Wiki

Preceded by Mad Lord Snapcase

Patrician of Ankh-Morpork ?-present

Succeeded by incumbent

This article contains brief biographies for characters from Terry Pratchett 's Discworld series Geography Ankh-Morpork lies on the River Ankh (the most polluted waterway on the Discworld and reputedly solid enough to walk on where the fertile loam of the Sto Plains

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